Russia’s top court refuses to release Navalny’s lawyers, pending trial on extremism charges

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Supreme Court has refused to release three lawyers who once represented Russia’s slain opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, and are now facing charges of extremism. The court also refused to transfer their case to a different court, even as the defense alleged a conflict of interest. Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin, and Alexei Liptser were arrested in October in a case widely seen as a means to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin foe. According to Navalny’s allies, authorities accused the lawyers of using their status as defense attorneys to pass letters from the imprisoned politician to members of his Anti-Corruption Foundation, labelled “extremist” in 2021.